Indian anti-graft activist's fast enters seventh day

A young boy dressed as the Hindu God Krishna on the day of Janmashtami, a festival that marks Krishna's birth, makes his way to the site where anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare is on his seventh day of hunger strike in New Delhi, India, on Aug. 22.

Manish Swarup / AP

A team of doctors checks the health of Anna Hazare during his hunger strike in New Delhi on Aug. 21.

A hunger strike by an Indian anti-graft activist entered its seventh day on Monday with opposition parties calling for nationwide rallies this week, leading the embattled government of Premier Manmohan Singh to take tentative steps to open talks.

The 74-year-old Anna Hazare, who has shed five kgs (11 lbs), spent the seventh day of his fast lying down on a makeshift stage on an open ground in the capital as electric fans cooled him in the humid monsoon heat. Continue reading.